Posted on 09/05/2006 9:16:54 AM PDT by Reagan Man
Like the famous racehorse Silky Sullivan, Sen. Rick Santorum is known as a great closer. Yet, months ago, he had been virtually given up for dead by pundits in his race against Bob Casey, Jr., son of the popular, pro-life, former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania.
One poll early this year had Santorum down 23 points, an almost insurmountable deficit. A Strategic Value poll had Santorum down 16 points.
Now the senator who had been written off is finishing fast. An average of all polls monitored by the RealClearPolitics.com website finds him trailing by 6 points. The most recent Strategic Value poll confirms it. Casey is at 47; Santorum, 41 and rising.
What accounts for the surge? The Washington Times traces it to one issue: "Republican strategists say Santorum's tough stand on immigration has become a key factor." No. 3 in the Senate leadership, Santorum was the highest-ranking Republican to vote against the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill that would open a path to U.S. citizenship for 10 million of the aliens who have either broken into our country, or are breaking the laws by being here, plus grant a full pardon from all civil and criminal penalties for the companies that employed them. McCain-Kennedy would further empower corporations to go abroad and hire what unions once called "scabs" to bring here to take jobs Americans cannot take at Third World wages.
"We did a certain amount of internal polling and when it got to immigration, it was very clear," says Santorum's media consultant John Braybender, who prepared two tough ads on immigration. "Rick's position versus Casey's was overwhelming. If Casey or anyone else thinks this is not an issue in Pennsylvania, they should start talking to voters."
Backing up Braybender is the same Strategic Value poll that found 79 percent of Pennsylvanians opposed to amnesty and 82 percent favoring a wall on the Mexican border. Pennsylvanians, like the rest of America, want the border secured and the illegals sent home.
But what will it take to wake up Karl Rove, lately sighted at the Los Angeles convention of the National Council of La Raza, where he won cheers for urging legalization of "undocumented" workers and boos for speaking of border security? (The literal translation of La Raza is "The Race.") Imagine the reaction to David Duke organizing a "National Council of The Race."
Two months from election day, Republicans, divided over Iraq, amnesty, spending, the loss of manufacturing and an economy that has left the working class treading water while the investor class is singing "Happy Days Are Here Again," are looking at the prospect of something somewhere between a defeat and a rout, or a massacre.
Yet if Republicans wish to hold Congress, despite what they may deserve, the Bushites could do no better than to borrow from the Santorum playbook. What can Bush and Congress do in 60 days?
One, publicly set aside the amnesty and guest worker provisions of the McCain-Kennedy bill. Bush cannot get them passed by the House in any event. Second, extract and enact the most urgent and popular provisions of both the Senate and House bills.
Bush should request $3 billion to $4 billion to start a security fence along all major crossing points for drug-dealers, coyotes and illegals. Then have Homeland Security begin systematic and public deportation of felons and gang members who are not U.S. citizens. Tattooed thugs being put on planes in cuffs will do the GOP and nation a world of good.
The FBI can provide the names. It has been tracking MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, the most vicious and violent gang in the hemisphere, with tens of thousands of members in the United States, for a year now.
Then call on Congress to reclaim its authority to denaturalize and deport any new citizen whose conduct -- applauding Al Qaeda or engaging in gang activity -- suggests they lied to become U.S. citizens. Bush could then tour the border again and, this time, shake hands with a few of the Minutemen patriots he earlier derided as "vigilantes." Unfortunately for the GOP, Rove & Co. believe that if Republicans take the hard line on illegal immigration that Pete Wilson took in 1994, the GOP will be as dead nationally as it has been lately in California. They forget: Wilson converted a 20-point deficit into a 10-point victory, captured both houses of the legislature and brought in four new GOP congressmen.
Arnold is the only other Republican to win statewide since then, and he ran against driver's licenses for illegals. No Republican who has taken the Rove-La Raza line has ever won the Golden State. Why is the GOP so mindlessly pursuing a transparently losing strategy? In pandering to La Raza, Rove may be playing for the long run. But as Lord Keynes said, in the long run we are all dead, which is where Republicans are headed if they don't get it right on this issue. Like Rick Santorum.
It can be saved, but not from Buchanan's advice.
Sen. Rick Santorum please stay away as far as possible to now "independent" and liberal media darling, pat buchanan.
ping
bttt
Pat, please just slither away.
If I saw Pat betting on red in Vegas,my money goes to black. He is a bitter man that never accepted the fact that he was rejected by the rank and file Republicans in 92.
Go Pat Go Away!!!
And pat buchanan has won how many elections?(the answer is zero)
If any Santorum staffer or Sen. Santorum himself is reading this, don't get close to liberal media darling pat buchanan.
Advice for the GOP from a man who got .0003 percent of the vote?
I think Al Sharpton got more votes than Buchanan.
"Backing up Braybender is the same Strategic Value poll that found 79 percent of Pennsylvanians opposed to amnesty and 82 percent favoring a wall on the Mexican border"
Anyone who thinks bush wants a wall must be delusional. He could have had anything he wanted 5 years ago. Additionally, the HUGE bipartisan public support for a wall is almost unprecedented on any major issue, yet the major parties are refusing to do it, or when something passes, refuse to fund it.
I see Human Events has drunk the Clown Car Media Koolaid on the state of the economy. Full employment and wage increases of 7% AFTER inflation for the first half of 06, to say nothing of 4.25% GNP growth has us "treading water?" And keep in mind many in the middle class ARE among the investor classes. I wish the media, including some conservatives, would get over their conventional wisdom that the economy is somehow floundering. High gas prices are not the only game in town, which in any event are dropping.
The problem with Pat Buchanan is that he is occasionally right. What should be the GOP immigration strategy is obvious to anyone outside the beltway. What a missed opportunity! How often do you get a huge issue on which doing the right thing is hugely popular and your opponents are totally against it? The GOP had a high fastball they could have knocked out of the park. The GOP could have crushed the Rats and on the twin issues of National Security and Illegal Immigration making them a small minority for another decade. Instead they are floundering in political correctness and there jobs are on the line.
No one is suggesting Rick show up on MSNBC sitting next to Pat. Pat just happens to be correct on this particular issue (and wrong on most others).
" And pat buchanan has won how many elections?(the answer is zero"
why bother to read the message when you can just attack the messenger?
Buchanan could say 'the sky is blue' and he would be attacked on this forum.
His comments on immigration are dead-on, and the GOP deserves to get creamed for ignoring lopsided public opinion on this issue.
So? I guess if a store woner is selling gas at 50% below his cost, is a ok with you since he is "right" on that issue, but wrong in that he will lose his shirt in the end.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.